mattp

Awesome! Thanks Mr. Rogoz! And thanks Drew, too. That's really good stuff.

Can you post some trip reports? I'm sure you'll be watching out and taking care of yourself but we'd love to see what you see.

On those super hot days, the Hanna/Packard Tower Route on Big Four is a good choice. It faces North and gets little or no sun even in the middle of the Summer (the first 5 or 6 pitches are a nice crag climb, a little scary in spots, on conglomerate/cobbles that are rather unique).

Good advice there, Curt. On those hot days you can climb the west side of Exfoliation Dome and do much of the climbing in the shade if you leave the car by 7:00 a.m.

The cracks there tend to be rather smooth and uniform in their internal surfaces. Cams walk as a result of variations in the tension on the draw or no draw attached to them, and they sometimes skate out of the crack when loaded in the event of a fall. This may not be unique in comparison to basalt elsewhere, but it is fairly unique in comparison to other local climbing areas. I often seek to double up pro at Vantage more than I might at other local destinations.

I can't remember, but I think the trail may head around the west side of the peak. I think that the better approach for a winter climb of the North Ridge is from the bowl between Pinnacle and Castle (have not climbed from the other side). Be sure that "conditions" have settled before you go.

The Washington Climbers Coalition is paying for a porta potty at the parking lot for Vantage during the spring and fall seasons while we start working on something more permanent (for this season it should be put in place this week or next). I understand that the bulletin board needs some "repair." Is anybody who may be carpenter inclined going over there this weekend and can bring back some photo's and ideas about what is needed to repair it? We'd like to post some information about the toilets and other issues on that bulletin board and we'd like to see if we climbers can repair the bulletin board that was installed by climbers fifteen years ago.

I'll bite. I have taken cheap gear on climbs in bad weather for years. In a lot of circumstances - most in my view - cheap rubber coated raingear paired with a windbreaker is a better choice than a $300 goretex jacket and, for shelter, a cheap tarp with rocks on one side and cord tied around the other for pull-out anchors can be better than a $500 tent. For most outings, salvation army pants are as good as those you might pay $100 for at the "bargain" website, and I have been warmer and drier when skiing when wearing used dress slacks than have my friends in goretex, on occasion. But good gear is good gear. Patagonia, Arcterx or whatever, is good stuff.

That is just plain astounding.

Patrix, I would not overlook Mt. Erie. It has as many good single pitch trad and sport climbs as anywhere, and it has stunning views. In the rain-shadow of the Olympic Mountains but also near the salt water, it has generally favorable weather but also may not fry as badly as other areas if you are here in a hot weather period. The guidebook is hard to follow but if you go there you will find some great climbing.

I would not bother with a bivvy sack but a snow shovel would be good. If the Shelter is full, dig a snow cave nearby. Just try not to get your clothes all wet while digging and you'll probably sleep better outside anyway.

I was there on Sunday and saw your car in the lot. Sorry we missed you.

...or there may just be nothing resembling good anchors... In any event, I think most of us agree that climbers need to be resourceful and skills would help; also I bet most agree that Blake's original thesis that you probably won't benefit from carrying the ten essential self-rescue and rap-route items on a standard climb is probably correct.

I don't disagree, Dru. There are times when more exotic anchor building skills or specialized equipment will keep you safer. Climbers should learn about this. And oh: I actually like the cordelette and always carry long slings. Carry on.

True that, but when Alpine climbing I generally do not spend a lot of time preparing technically correct SRENE anchors either. There are certainly situations where advanced anchor theory and dedicated equipment will be helpful in this regard, for sure, but most of the time it comes down to belay-is-secure-so-its-ok or belay-is-crap-so-I-sure-hope-my-buddy-doesn't-fall.

Yup. That is why I think the modern focus on SRENE anchor systems is a little over the top and encourages a waste of time at most belays. The concepts are good but most of the time I just tie myself to a bomber anchor and make sure there are one or preferably two bomber and independent anchors backing it up - usually using my runners or another length of the climbing rope to tie them together.

Really? Wow.

Yes, I meant the North Ridge of Pinnacle Peak. It is a thrilling but short and relatively easy to manage winter climb. It has a little bit of technical climbing, though, with some complexity in terms of ice/rock/snow, difficult pro, exposure, descent down the other side of the peak, etc.

March may be hit or miss for ice in the area but I would recommend the North Ridge of Pinnacle Peak for a moderate but exciting 4-5 pitch route leading to a summit. You''ll probably swing a tool into some ice somewhere along the way (like pitch three or so). This route is mountaineering and maybe "mixed" in modern parlance but certainly not an ice climb. It has great exposure but well situated belays and short pitches help keep things manageable. An easy descent off the south side awaits, though I've encountered avalanche danger there when the north side was fine.

Joe, I agree that some of the bird closures appear to be much broader than appropriate to even the needs of the nesting pair at issue and "common sense" may be lacking in some cases. It is a question of balance. I like eagles and falcons, though. I bet most of those people who designate the nesting closures are trying to do their job - which as I understand it generally includes allowing recreational access while protecting nesting activity. I encourage you to ask questions about common sense but I for one am willing to wait until the nesting season is over to climb [insert climb here] as long as there is plenty else I can climb in the mean time.

I'm not making excuses for anybody and I don't like broken glass but I think it is worthy of note that Mt. Erie is a place that is "special" to a lot of people who are not climbers and who may have ideas about the place that we will never understand. On Holloween eve a few years back I took my nephew climbing at the summit wall and as I was belaying him from a spot on top of the wall I noticed that I was sitting in an area where somebody had deposited the ashes of their dead relative not long before. Seriously. Your glass shard vandal may be a jerk but there is a real possibility that they thought they were doing something "cool" or "right" or maybe "important" when they left that glass on the top of "your" crag. To repeat: I don't like broken glass and I'm not making excuses for anybody. But Mt. Erie is a public place and the public may not share the same sensibility as me.

4 miles of road hiking or road skiing is not much extra effort if you are up for Dragontail. Don't worry about needing a snowmobile (I've done it with and without and I'd say the effort to haul a snow machine over there when, in Spring, the road is easily walkable or skinable, is of dubious utility even if you already have a sled and trailer).

It is not at all surprising that people who take avalanche courses may be more likely to die in avalanches than those who don't. They take these courses and dig those pits precisely because they enjoy skiing or otherwise traveling in what they presume to be dangerous terrain. At the same time, there is no conflict between that idea and the notion that those who take avalanche courses actually learn to be MORE cautious. That has certainly been my friends' and my own experience. I had a good friend killed in an avalanche before all of this pit and beacon thing became the rage. I have not had one killed that way since. And I've done a lot of back-country skiing, as have my friends, in the intervening years.

I don't think volcano vs. non-volcano is where I'd draw the danger line. I also don't think it is even a question of "technical" vs. "nontechnical." A couple of very experienced friends of mine died on "nontechnical" terrain recently and I have known experienced climbers to die on volcano's. For a new climber I'd recommend reading such things as "Accidents in North American Mountaineering," textbooks like "Freedom of the Hills," and taking any and all classes or other instruction available. I'd still say "go out there and have fun," but I'd offer the caution: "be careful; people die."

Allright, Pete. Here's a video for you. Meanwhile, sip coffee and watch the morning come on instead of hurrying to beat the crowds. Take your wife up something comfortable, and maybe after she has had a few good experiences take her up something comfortable with a couple of other friends on a trip where she can feel like she is the "experienced" climber. Even a spouse or girlfriend who may never think she wants to become a "climber" can enjoy a good time.